


The War Letters

by Semperfidani



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben is MIA, Ben is in the military, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo, Devoted Reylo, F/M, Ghost Ben?, Grief/Mourning, Happily Ever After, Hopeful Leia, Hopeful Rey, Human in Bird Form?, Military, Military Letters, Modern Era, Reunion, Rey Needs A Hug, Soft Ben Solo, Soulmates, soft rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23272285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semperfidani/pseuds/Semperfidani
Summary: Ben Solo is MIA. Rey, his childhood friend, processes her grief by reading his war letters. No one is ever really gone.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 27
Kudos: 135





	The War Letters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Impossiblefangirl0632](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impossiblefangirl0632/gifts).



> This story is a gift for Lindsay as part of the Wholesome Reylo Content Discord page exchange. We were tasked with creating a story off of a moodboard. Lindsay, I hope I did justice to your images! 
> 
> Thank you to Kate_Reid for being the best beta and friend.

_You're not alone when you dream, I'm with you._  
_I hear your heart when it beats, I feel it too..._

_Where did you go, my love?_  
_I need to know you're safe._

_So many miles between us._  
_I need to see your face._

_Has anybody seen my soldier, standing all alone?_  
_Has anybody seen my soldier, just trying to get home?_

[~ Shania Twain, Solider](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3gd5_i2YfQ&t=5s)

* * *

November 2, 2002 

Rey sank into the velvet green chair, crossing her legs underneath herself. She draped the light cotton blanket over her legs, then sipped from her mug, the warm tea a comfort to her throat. The antique lamp cast a soft glow, providing just enough light to read the letters without eye-strain.

“Which one do you want me to read today, Miss Leia?”

The older woman motioned to the envelope on the left, her wrinkled hand adorned with a faded gold family ring. The pale yellow topaz birthstone shone brightly between the opal and ruby in dramatic contrast. _My son always had a way of sticking out_ , she would say to Rey.

Leia leaned back against the plush pillows. Her hair, freshly dried after the bath, was braided into a crown on the top of her head. She nestled deeply into her quilt, a patchwork of various remnants of her son’s life--scraps of his childhood blanket here, a piece of his military uniform there. She nodded to Rey when she was ready to listen to the contents of the letter.

_November 19, 2001_

_My dearest mother,_

_The First Order Battalion just got word of our deployment date. We will be heading out to Khandahar in a week’s time. I won’t lie to you, mama, because I know by now that you can read between the lines like some kind of mystical clairvoyant. I am nervous. When I joined the military a few months ago, I knew we would be facing our enemy sooner than later. I wanted to destroy whomever it was that hurt us. But now that a date and time are set...well...it feels so real now. The enemy isn’t just some faceless coward. This is just so real._

_I need you to take care of Rey. She is my best friend, but she never knew how much I secretly loved her. I promised her I would come back. If I don’t, please make sure she is taken care of...that she is set up to inherit what would have been mine...the entire Skywalker legacy. I love you both with all my heart ,mama. I promise I will do everything in my power to come back._

_With love,_

_Your son Benjamin._

Rey bit back a sob, crushing her fist to her mouth as she read the truth of his feelings for her, scrawled across the faded yellow lined paper in faded black Bic ballpoint ink. If only she had known. If only…

* * *

> “I don’t know why you have to join? Let other people fight this war!” Nineteen-year-old Rey stomped her foot in anger. She glared at her neighbor, her hazel eyes filled with righteous fury and her braces on full display as she clenched her teeth. 
> 
> “Scavenger, you know I can’t just watch from the sidelines as our country gets attacked.” Ben, twenty-two and fresh out of college, ran his hand through his long wavy brown hair, looking at Rey with soulful golden-brown eyes.
> 
> “But Beehnnn...can’t you just wait a few years and see how this plays out?” Her voice broke through her plea, the emotion getting the better of her. 
> 
> Ben reached out and gathered her into his arms, her head just coming up to rest against his shoulder as he pressed her close to him. Rey wrapped her thin arms around his large frame, her hands pressed against the small of his back. She sobbed gently as he patted her hair.
> 
> “Rey...you know I can’t just sit on the sidelines,” he mumbled, his lips grazing her ear as he spoke.
> 
> Rey pulled back to stare into his eyes with concern...and something else...
> 
> “Promise you’ll come back to me?”
> 
> He looked at her with affection...and something else. 
> 
> “I promise, my little Scavenger girl. I’ll always be with you.”
> 
> He brushed a kiss gently against her cheek.

* * *

  
Leia’s gentle snores filled the room, and Rey got up to cover Leia with another blanket. She lit the sacristy candle propped on the window-sill, its flame holding silent vigil. Returning to her chair, she opened the second letter. 

_March 7, 2012._ _  
  
_

_My dearest mother,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health. How are you? Have you been taking your medicine? How is the mutt, Chewie? I swear he will outlive all of us. Is Rey doing alright in her schooling? My girl was always so smart. She’s going to change the world, just wait and see._ _  
_ _  
_ _I’m worried, mama. I have to go on a special mission. I know what I have to do, but I just don’t know if I have the strength to do it. Commander Snoke can see my weakness. He picked on me harder than the other soldiers, including Private Hux and Private Phasma. He said that I’m weak, like my father. Everyone knows, mama. Word got out that Dad was a Vietnam deserter. Even though grandfather was a decorated war hero, it’s the legacy of my father that everyone is judging me by. They don’t see it, but I can see it in the way they act around me. Now I have to prove to Commander Snoke twice as hard as the others that when the moment comes, I won’t hesitate._

_I feel broken, mama. I need you now more than ever. If I don’t survive this mission, know that I love you. Make sure Rey knows how much I love her too. I got that tattoo I told you I was going to get. I chose a sun rose tattoo. The rose for you mama, and a sun for Rey._

_I gotta go. I love you both. See you (hopefully) soon._

_With love,_

_Your son Benjamin_

  
  


Rey clutched the letter to her heart, tears flowing down her cheeks. Every word, once an afterthought, now a cherished memory. 

She grabbed the final letter and turned off the light, the flicker of the candle casting a glow over Leia’s sleeping form. She walked down the stairs, the familiar creak a small comfort. She slipped on her wool-lined slippers and reached into the closet for _his_ jacket.

The jacket, a fleece plaid lumberjack style button-up, hung comically on her small frame, drowning her body in its large size. She pressed her freckled nose against the collar, sure she could still smell the pine cologne he favored. 

She stepped out into the cool, crisp, winter air and walked to the porch swing. She swung gently, her feet barely hitting the ground in a gentle _swish._ The trees lining the acreage were bare, the autumn leaves giving way to decay as winter blew into the Carolina air. The sky was white, not a ray of sun in sight as the gentle clouds blanketed the sky. She closed her eyes, the creak of the swing and the swish of her feet the only sounds, echoing through the chilled air. 

A sudden weight pressed down on the swing, and the feeling of warmth mixed with the scent of pine permeated her senses. She kept her eyes closed, for fear that he would be gone when she opened them. She heard his chuckle from her side. 

“My little stubborn Scavenger girl. I’m right here with you, Rey. Don’t be afraid.” 

“I’ve missed you Ben.” Her voice cracked in the cold, crisp, air. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Scavenger,” he replied, a matching crack in his voice. “No one is ever really gone. I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

She startled as a cool breeze brushed against her cheek.

She opened her eyes, hoping to see him. 

A large black raven, thick with plumage, stared at her from the rail before flying away.

“Come back,” Rey yelled irrationally at the raven, her voice broken and raspy. The raven continued to fly down the driveway until it was out of sight. 

The empty space beside her felt hollow. If it was possible for a shattered heart to break even further...

She looked at the final letter in her hand, the official logo affixed to the addressee section. It was addressed to Mrs. Leia Organa-Solo, 232 Naboo Lane, Albemarle, North Carolina, 28001. Rey opened the envelope carefully, treating it like a precious metal. 

_11 April 2002_

_Dear Mrs. Organa-Solo,_

  
_It is with deepest regret that I wish to inform you, on behalf of the Department of Defense, that your son, Pvt. Benjamin Lucas Solo, has been reported missing in action…_

She stopped — unable to read any further. It was an exercise in futility to continue to read the letter. It didn’t tell her anything she didn’t already know...that her Ben — her rock, her best friend, the boy she loved above all else — was out there in the unknown, likely dead. 

A shiver crawled up her spine. In her heart, she knew that he was alive. _She could feel it._ For as long as she could remember, she felt like Ben was her other half — her equal in the cosmos of the world. From the time she was a young teenage girl — adopted by Leia’s best friend, Amilyn — it was her and Ben. At first, she imagined she must have irritated him, following him around like a shadow as he made his way through the social perils of high school.  
  
But he always made time for her. He would drive her to school in his new car. He would buy her a ticket to the NASCAR races in Charlotte, and teach her the ins and outs of the sport. He would try, and fail miserably, to teach her calligraphy. He taught her piano, and would laugh as she twirled in like a Russian ballet dancer when he played Rachmaninoff. On warm days, he would read his secret poetry to her by their spot at the lake. 

They were like two peas in a pod. Where Ben went, Rey was there. Their friends even called them Reylo in jest — so joined at the hip they were. 

Now it was just Rey. One half of the -lo. Alone without her Ben. 

She sprang off the swing and ran into the house, carefully placing the letter on the table. She changed into her boots, and grabbed her knitted hat, scarf and mittens — another distraction project she worked on over these last few months.  
  
Gently shutting the door, so as not to wake Leia, she ran behind the house and down the trail between the trees towards _their_ pond, a small body of water separating the Solo and Holdo properties.

She made her way towards their bench, marching through the fallen leaves that crunched under her footsteps. 

Rey sat down, unsure of exactly what she was doing. She was so sure a few minutes ago that she had to come here... _their spot_...and yet now she was uncertain as to what motivated her. 

She sat a few moments in silence, her breath making small puffs of air visible to the eye. A bit of sun pierced through the clouds. The small pond sparkled a bit against the light, the cattails swaying in the breeze.

“Rey.”

Rey blinked at the sound of the masculine voice echoing across the air. Was her mind deceiving her? Had grief finally given way to insanity?

“Turn around, Rey.”

She stood up, slowly turning towards the trail. 

Ben stood there, in his Marine blues, leaning on a cane. His face, long and scattered with moles, had a scar that bisected his right cheek, spreading from the eyebrow to just underneath his collar. 

“Ben?” Rey choked out. Was this just another illusion? Another dream?

“No, it’s not a dream,” he responded. She must have spoken out loud. 

“Rey, it’s really me. I’m home,” he choked a bit on his emotion. “I’ve come back to you like I promised.”

Rey moved forward, her legs working automatically to carry her through her disbelief. She stumbled a bit as she moved forward until she was right in front of him.

Leaning on the cane with one arm, he reached his other hand towards her. 

Tentatively, she lifted her arm forward until her hand hovered just above his. Gently, she lowered it, gasping as it made contact with solid flesh as tears streamed uncontrollably. 

“Come here, my little Scavenger girl.” He pulled her with the strength of his arm until she was fully crushed into his chest, their bodies touching at every possible place two people standing could connect. He wrapped his arm around her body, kissing into her hair.  
  
“My Ben. You are really home!” Rey pulled her head back to look at him, her smile brighter than the sun.

“I promised I would never leave you behind. I never did.” He bent forward, kissing her for the first time, his lips gently caressing hers chastely. He touched his forehead against hers. “I felt your spirit the entire time I was in the hospital, bandaged and broken. I felt your love through all pain, and seeing you again was the only thing that kept me going. I love you, Rey.”

“I love you, Ben. I love you so much.” She stood on her tiptoes to wrap her hand into his hair, slightly shorter than the last time she saw him, but longer than the standard military-cut. She pulled him forward and kissed him deeply in a passionate dance.

A few moments passed before they broke apart, gasping for air. They touched foreheads again, as if wanting to stay in that spot forever.  
  
“Your mother!” Rey suddenly exclaimed. “We must go wake her.”

“Just one more moment with you, Rey.” He pulled back to stare at her. “I know I’m not the same man that left you. I’m broken. I have nothing but my military pension and my family inheritance right now. I don’t have much to offer you. If you want to walk away, I understand.” 

Rey frowned at the thought. “Ben, I see our future. It’s solid and clear. I love you with all my heart, and whatever the future holds — whatever challenges are ahead of us — we will face it together. I love you, unconditionally.”

“Marry me,” Ben replied gently, a deep smile on his face. “Here, at our pond. In front of our friends and family.”

“Yes!” Rey said with no hesitation. 

They embraced, kissing for a few moments longer. 

The clouds gave way to the sun, lighting the path home. Arm-in-arm, they walked towards the future together.  
  
  



End file.
